The $500,000 Answering Machine
1,000 stories from people who give a sh*t.
A raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead Generous.
No interviews. No scripts. Just true stories from all over the world, told by people given $500USD to pay-it-forward as outrageously as they can. From buying teeth to building dancefloors. Donating Shetland ponies to curating guerrilla gardens.
Smile. Take inspiration. Give a sh*t? Pay-it-forward.
> For goodness' sake and with trust, we hit publish without listening. So when you hear these stories for the first time, we are too.
> Apply to become a grantee at www.dropdeadgenerous.org.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 3 minutes
- Episodes
- 27
- Years Active
- 2025
#0097 - Kelly D
$500 helps the Blind Summiteers climb Mount Snowden.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social exp…
#0127 - Reanne M
$500 to enjoy being human before the robots take over
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social ex…
#0053 - AJ L
$500 buys 30 books.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead Generous…
#0171 - Laura K
$500 for a book about a cat.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead…
Trailer
John M Sweeney, one of the co-founders of Drop Dead Generous, explains why The $500,000 Answering Machine exists.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicema…
#0031 - Elliot S
$500 gets 70 Kenyan kids to school.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Dr…
#0180 - Angela N
A $500 salon for pregnant girls.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop …
#0077 - Bailey G
A $500 miniature pony.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead Gener…
#0062 - Nick M
$500 helps a stranger on Reddit.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop …
#0119 - Agnieszka D
$500 split into 10 micro-grants.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop …
#0078 - Lucas L
A $500 stone mural preserving the magic of Neverland.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social ex…
#0180 - Joel A
$500 for plane passengers to see daffodils.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment c…
#0087 - Miriam W
A $500 makeover (for a passageway).
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Dr…
#0043 - Avril D
$500 for a clean air parade.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead…
#0123 - Anita P
$500 for dry bags for homeless people.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called…
#0137 - Lucas B
$500 sacred fires.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead Generous.
…
#0069 - Mongezi M
A $500 vegetable harvest.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead Ge…
#0090 - Sandra P
$500 for an ocean gratitude ceremony.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called…
#0028 - Rhian T
A $500 space for baby loss.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead …
#0012 - Helen G
$500 for random strangers.
This is 'The $500,000 Answering Machine' — a raw, unfiltered feed of real-time voicemails being left by 1,000 grantees of a crazy, weird social experiment called Drop Dead G…